The present invention relates to a dispenser of single newspapers, and in particular to a coin-operated newspaper dispenser in which the papers are individually dispensed upon insertion of the proper coinage.
The typical street corner newspaper rack has a metal box which holds a vertical stack of newspapers, and a front vertical or near-vertical door which can be opened when the proper coinage is inserted. Once the front door is open, the user has access to the entire stack of newspapers, but it is presumed that the user has use for only one newspaper and will leave the rest for the next customer. Unfortunately, this system is defenseless against the unscrupulous user who might insert the necessary coinage to obtain a single paper, but remove the entire stack and sell the papers on his own at considerable profit. Also, where patronage is heavy, the temptation to leave the door open for the next purchaser is at times overwhelming.
The desirability of a dispenser which would issue only one paper at a time when the appropriate coinage is inserted is manifest. However, the design of such a single paper dispenser which will withstand abuse and resist tampering in a street corner environment, and adapt to the varying thicknesses of different newspapers, has proved to be difficult. Attempts at designing such dispensers are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,621,960; 3,957,175; and 4,085,864, but these dispensers are not used extensively. At present, the conventional fully openable rack is used almost exclusively despite its deficiencies because single dispenser designs have proved to be unequal to the task.